Vehicles, in particular, motorized vehicles such as automobiles and light duty trucks are complex machines with thousands of various parts that perform a vast array of operations that permit the vehicle to be operated by the user. As with any such complex machine, malfunctions occur in one or more parts of the vehicle from time to time.
Formerly, most vehicle malfunctions were relatively easy to diagnose and repair, especially on vehicles manufactured prior to 1970. Malfunctions on these older vehicles were typically easy to diagnose and repair because the vehicles were relatively simple, and their operating systems, such as engines and controls were primarily mechanical in nature, thus facilitating a relatively simple diagnosis of malfunctions when they occurred. However, such has not been the case for the last 30 years or so.
Since the early 1970s, vehicles have become substantially more complex, as a result of a variety of factors, including governmental regulations that mandated that vehicles pollute less, and consume fuel more efficiently. Additionally, the advent of consumer-available computerization, when coupled with consumer demand for convenience features such as electric windows, doors, door locks, and the like, have caused recently manufactured vehicles to become substantially more complex than their pre-1970s counterparts.
Most cars manufactured prior to 1970 could be serviced adequately, and have their problems diagnosed by consumers, or mechanics equipped with only rudimentary mechanical tools. However, the increasingly electronic-driven nature of new vehicles has made it difficult for consumers to either diagnose malfunctions in their vehicles or to repair them. Even professional mechanics must now rely on sophisticated electronic equipment to diagnose and repair vehicular malfunctions.
To better aid in the diagnosis of such vehicular malfunctions, passenger cars have been required, since 1996, to include an on-board diagnostic port (OBD port), or a diagnostic link connector (DLC). An OBD and DLC essentially comprises a plug-in type connector that is coupled to the on-board computer in the vehicle. The on-board computer is coupled to various sensors at various places within the vehicle, to sense the existence of a malfunction in the various locations of the vehicle. By plugging in an appropriate “scanner” device into the OBD or DLC, error codes can be retrieved from OBD or DLC. These error codes provide information as to the source of the malfunction.
Typically, the scanner devices used today to retrieve such error codes from an OBD or DLC port are large, complex, and importantly expensive. The devices typically include a data processing computer, having a cable that can be coupled to the OBD or DLC port. The error codes are retrieved from the vehicle, and fed into the processing unit of the device. The processing unit of the device includes software for processing the information retrieved from the error code, which, along with a database of information, correlates the error codes to specific vehicle malfunction conditions.
In order to properly process data received from the DLC or OBD port, the diagnostic device is required to have a substantial amount of processing capability in order to process the retrieved data, a substantial database of information about the particular vehicle from which the data is retrieved, and which correlates the error codes to the particular malfunctions; and a display (either electronic, or through a printer) that is capable of displaying or printing out a message in some format. This format can take the form of either an error code (e.g. error number P0171), or some natural language description of the error (e.g. system too lean (bank one)).
Because of the processing, storage and display requirements attendant to such a device, the cost of such a device is usually outside of the range desired by most automobile owners, and even some smaller automobile service facilities. As such, prior to the present invention, the only persons who typically possessed such diagnostic devices were automobile service facilities such as service stations, automobile repair shops and automobile dealerships.
One difficulty with the isolation of such diagnostic devices within the hands of service personnel (as opposed to consumers) is that consumers are often denied the opportunity to have access to diagnostic information about their vehicle, thus putting consumers at the mercy of the service repair facility.
Unfortunately, economic factors, ethical laxity, and lack of knowledge conspire too often, thereby causing unnecessary repairs to be made to vehicles, and hence, from the consumer's perspective, unnecessary expenses to be incurred in the repair of their vehicles.
This problem is not inconsequential. According to a National Highway and Traffic Administration report, of the approximately $50 billion dollars spent annually in America for automobile repair and maintenance, roughly $20 billion dollars of this amount is spent on unnecessary or fraudulent repairs. Statistically, this means that 40 cents of every dollar spent on automobile repair in America is at worst, wasted, and at best, unnecessary.
Because of the high cost of automobile repair, and the unfortunate high incidence of unnecessary and fraudulent repairs, many consumers live in dread of an automotive malfunction and the required trip to an automobile service facility. The consumer's fear is exacerbated by the fact that the complexity of contemporary automobiles precludes most consumers from diagnosing the problems themselves. As such, the consumer is left to the mercy of the automobile technician who informs the consumer of the malfunctions, and suggests the repair therefor. Since the consumer cannot diagnose the problems herself, the consumer is never quite sure whether the service technician is being truthful, or alternately, suggesting repairs that need not be performed. This fear is often exacerbated by the fact that many repair facilities pay their service writers commissions for the services and parts “sold” by the service writer.
Admittedly, this problem with consumer ignorance could be mitigated if the consumer were to have her own scanner type diagnostic device. However, this solution is not practical, as such scanners typically sell for $500.00 to $3,000.00. Additionally, various adaptors and data cartridges must be purchased for different types of vehicles. Most importantly, few, if any of these scanners provide output in a form that is of value to a non-mechanic layperson In summary, the cost of such a scanner, when all parts and databases are assembled, can exceed the price and usefulness where it would be profitable for consumers to purchase them. Examples of such scanners are sold by Snap-On, Inc. of Waukegan, Ill., and can be seen at www.snapon.com. One such illustrative scanner is the Snap-On, Super-Deluxe graphing scanner, Stock No. MTG25002900.
As the cost of such a scanner is beyond the practical affordability of most consumers, it is easy to deduce that providing consumers with currently existing scanners provides no real, economically viable solution for consumers.
Therefore, it is one object of the present invention to provide a device that is small enough, and can be manufactured inexpensively enough to allow consumers to retrieve error codes from their vehicle diagnostic system, to therefore be better informed of the malfunctions visiting their vehicles.